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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27522748">Forever is Composed of Nows</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/timtamtawney/pseuds/timtamtawney'>timtamtawney</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Post-Canon Oneshots [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Death, F/F, F/M, Future Fic, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Immortality, Melancholy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 05:35:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,041</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27522748</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/timtamtawney/pseuds/timtamtawney</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Queen Glimmer reflects on her relationships with mortals as her companions grow old and pass on.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Post-Canon Oneshots [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2093883</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>233</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Forever is Composed of Nows</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Here's a short piece on my favorite half-angel.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Glimmer couldn’t recall the exact day when she decided she didn’t want to have children. Perhaps it hadn’t really been any day in particular – rather, each time she found another piece of evidence that she had inherited her mother’s “blessing,” she became more sure that she wouldn’t take the same risk her mother had.</p><p>When she was a child, her father had noticed that she never fell ill. Then, in their mid-20s, Adora had offhandedly mentioned that she was jealous of Glimmer’s skin – even as her friends had started to show faint signs of age, her face was clear and unlined. She had accepted it just before her 30<sup>th</sup> birthday, when her wings had grown too large to hide under her cape – she was destined to watch all of her mortal friends grow old and die while she lived on, flash-frozen in amber. She hadn't known what the chances were of her and Bow having an immortal child, but she wasn’t willing to take that risk. Even if her hypothetical children were born mortal, she doubted that she could endure the pain of watching them grow old and pass on while she was trapped in the prime of her life.</p><p>When she admitted it to Bow, it had hurt him deeply – and of course it had! After all, he had grown up in a home full of siblings. Mortal siblings. Why shouldn’t he dream of filling their newly verdant planet with children of his own?</p><p>“I understand if this, you know. Changes things,” Glimmer had stammered tearfully. As her words hung in the air, she tried to imagine what her life would be like if she hadn’t gotten so involved with Bow, with her friends – but no, it was too difficult, too painful.</p><p>“Of course it doesn’t change anything,” Bow had said as he pulled her into a tight hug. “I love you.”</p><p>As a child Glimmer had wondered why her immortal mother had chosen to marry a mortal sorcerer despite knowing that he would die someday. Meeting Bow made it obvious – he was so full of life and love and warmth that her desire to be with him hardly felt like a choice. It <em>was</em> a choice, however, and she and Bow had chosen one another. Glimmer knew that his days would end before hers, but that just made her cherish their time together all the more.  </p><p>~~~</p><p>Adora was the first to go. Perhaps if Glimmer had been asked when she was 20, that’s what she would have guessed – the Adora she knew then was always running headlong into battle, the first to confront danger for the sake of others.</p><p>After the defeat of Horde Prime, however, it seemed that Etheria’s – honestly, the whole galaxy’s – appetite for conquest had been sated. Most civilizations were content to recover and rebuild. Adora’s destruction of the Heart created an abundance of arable land in Etheria, so the world stopped needing She-Ra as a warrior and started needing She-Ra as an icon, an ambassador. Glimmer had encouraged Adora to embrace the role – it was only fair, after all. Adora had earned her rest after the war.</p><p>As the years passed, however, Glimmer noticed Adora slowing down. It wasn’t unexpected – mortal joints wear down over time, their bones grow weak, but Adora seemed to be slowing down a little faster than Catra or Bow. Perhaps it was a side effect of being a conduit for the raw magical energy of She-Ra, but they never found out. Just before her 68<sup>th</sup> birthday, Adora passed away peacefully in her sleep.</p><p>It hadn’t been a surprise, exactly, but Adora’s death shook Glimmer to her bones. She was well aware that someday her friends would die, but it wasn’t until Adora passed on that it felt <em>real</em>. Glimmer felt selfish for pitying herself, so she hid her pain and put on a strong face for Catra, who had been shattered by Adora’s passing.</p><p>Adora’s funeral was massive – there were delegations from nearly every spacefaring civilization in their stellar neighborhood as well as mourners from each of Etheria’s kingdoms. As Queen of Bright Moon, Glimmer was obligated to give a eulogy. Not that she minded honoring her friend, of course, but it felt strange giving a eulogy for Adora in front of those who knew her only as She-Ra. She-Ra wasn’t gone – indeed, Glimmer would likely know hundreds of She-Ras during her rule. Adora, her dear friend, Catra’s loving wife, Finn’s attentive mother – <em>she</em> was gone.</p><p>“…and even though Adora wasn’t born an Etherian, her legacy will be one every Etherian should aspire to – a story of courage, compassion, and love. Goodbye, Adora. You will always be loved, always be missed, and always be in our hearts.”</p><p>As Glimmer returned to her seat between her husband, who offered her a watery smile, and Catra, whose shoulders were still shaking with silent sobs, she felt a chill. She wondered how many more friends she’d have to bury.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Bow, like Adora, passed quietly, but it was a surprise – a sudden heart attack during a council meeting. Glimmer had been anticipating it with dread for years, but this – by the goddess, nothing could have prepared her for <em>this</em>. It felt as if her very soul had been torn from her body, leaving her filled with an empty numbness that staved off sleep and masked her hunger. Her partner, her childhood friend, her anchor was gone and Glimmer was left unmoored. How could she put herself back together after <em>this</em>?</p><p>And yet, she knew that it was possible. She had seen it happen.</p><p>“Catra, h-how?” she had asked lamely between sobs after Bow’s funeral. They were in the royal chambers, sitting on her now-too-large bed.</p><p>Catra shook her head, shrugging a little. Catra had aged with dignity – her mane had long streaks of silver that gave her an air of wisdom. She had slowed down, of course; these days, Catra spent more time than not taking catnaps and she wasn’t quite able to leap from balcony to balcony in Bright Moon anymore, but she was still healthy and hale.</p><p>“I didn’t think I’d make it longer than Adora,” Catra admitted. “But here I am.”</p><p>“Does it ever stop hurting?” Glimmer asked. She didn’t know what she wanted the answer to be – would “no” mean she’d feel this broken forever? Would “yes” mean she’d eventually forget her love for Bow?</p><p>Catra shook her head, but was quiet for a while. “It’s manageable, after a while. But it still hurts.”</p><p>“Then <em>how</em>?” Glimmer sobbed. She wasn’t really sure what the actual words of her question were. <em>How do I go on? How do I get over this? How is this fair?</em> A mixture of all of them, perhaps.</p><p>Catra shrugged and looked at Glimmer, a little distantly. “You just… continue. Some days it’s okay, some days it’s like you’re suffocating, but you just keep going, I guess. And it starts to get easier.”</p><p>“Easier? Not better?” Glimmer whispered.</p><p>Catra shook her head again. “No, not better.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>A few years had passed since Bow’s funeral and, just like Catra promised, Glimmer had learned how to continue on. Days when despair threatened to drown her were rarer now – she supposed she’d learned to how keep swimming. She and Catra spent most evenings together now – at least, as long as Catra wasn’t visiting Finn and Queen Flora.</p><p>“It’s just like old times, isn’t it, Sparkles? Just you and me, stuck with each other,” Catra joked. She wheezed a little as she snickered at her own joke.</p><p>Glimmer snorted. “I don’t think anyone’s coming to save us.”</p><p>Catra cackled again. “No, this is definitely it for me. No She-Ra magic to bring me back to life this time around.”</p><p>Glimmer gave Catra a pained smile. Catra had started joking about her own mortality more often recently – Glimmer supposed that she had accepted that her end was near, at this point. Still, it hurt Glimmer to be reminded that her last living friend was on her last legs.</p><p>“Hey… you’re not… sticking around just for me, are you?” Glimmer asked tentatively.</p><p>Catra rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. I have grandkids, you know.”</p><p>Glimmer laughed, but it came out a little forced. She was sure that Catra noticed.</p><p>“You know, you don’t <em>have</em> to hang out with this old lady all the time,” Catra said, gesturing at herself. “You’re still ‘young,’ Glim.”</p><p>Glimmer glanced at a window, examining her reflection in the glass. Catra was right – aside from her wings, which were now big enough that she generate a bit of lift, she didn’t look a day over 30. She <em>could</em> make friends with the new Princesses, or she could search for the next She-Ra, but…</p><p>“It broke me, when Bow died. Adora, too. And it’s not going to be any easier when you die, Catra,” Glimmer said in a low voice.</p><p>“So… what, you’re just going to be alone for the rest of eternity? Because you don’t want to be sad?” Catra scoffed.</p><p>Glimmer simply shrugged.</p><p>Catra huffed. “It’s a little scary to think about, isn’t it? Eternity. I’ve lived a long time, but that’s still nothing compared to eternity.”</p><p>Glimmer pondered this topic regularly. She felt like her memory stretched back for ages, yet all the years she remembered were an infinitesimal sliver of all the years she would live. Well… “Hey, my mom didn’t make it to eternity. Maybe I won’t, either.”</p><p>Catra winced. “Sorry.” After the war, it had taken them a while to talk about the portal – heck, it had taken them a while to get to the point where they even <em>could</em> talk about anything serious at all. But… Glimmer had nearly ended the world with her screwups, too. She had needed to forgive Catra to be able to forgive herself.</p><p>“No, I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Glimmer said. “I just wish I had asked her, you know? What did she <em>do</em> all those years before she met my dad?”</p><p>Catra shrugged. “She was the Queen, right? Seems like a full-time job. You’ll still have to do that.”</p><p>“Yeah. You’re right,” Glimmer offered Catra a small smile. Catra wasn’t <em>really </em>right – her duties as Queen of Bright Moon, while often interesting and always time-consuming, didn’t make her feel any less lonely. Glimmer just wanted to avoid the topic.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Unlike with Bow and Adora, Glimmer was able to say farewell to Catra.</p><p>“Multiple organ failure,” Catra murmured weakly from her bed. “That’s what the docs said.” She was pale and her fur looked thin. Finn and Flora were outside, talking to the healers while Glimmer held Catra’s thin hand.</p><p>“Don’t overexert yourself,” Glimmer chided softly. She didn’t <em>want</em> to be bickering with Catra until the end, but perhaps that’s just how things were meant to be. Catra had always been a fighter, so Glimmer hadn’t been surprised by how protracted this process had been – death had clawed at Catra for months, taking little bits of her away until she couldn’t hold onto life any longer.</p><p>Catra’s eyes focused on Glimmer’s. “Do you think there’s… an after?” she whispered.</p><p>Glimmer shrugged slowly. She always found life after death to be a profoundly mortal thing to wish for. Who knew, maybe mortals <em>did </em>get life after death, but for immortals, this was it. Regardless, this didn’t seem like the time to bring all that up.</p><p>“Well, we’re all born from Etheria’s magic. Maybe you’re just going back to being a part of Etheria,” Glimmer said.</p><p>Catra nodded, then took a shuddering breath. It was shallow. Her voice was awfully quiet now, enough that Glimmer had to lean forward to hear her. “Hey, Glim. You’re going to be okay, right?”</p><p>“You don’t have to stick around for me,” Glimmer responded, giving Catra’s hand a light squeeze. She hoped that Catra would let the deflection slide, this time.</p><p>Catra chuckled a little, but it was mostly just wheezing. “I tried. Just – just for a little.”</p><p>Tears sprung to Glimmer’s eyes and she shook her head wordlessly.</p><p>“Hey, hey. I’m the one dying here,” Catra murmured. “Keep it together.”</p><p>Glimmer sniffed, her eyes watery. “If you say so, Horde Scum.”</p><p>Catra exhaled and closed her eyes, but there was a faint smile on her lips. Her breathing was labored now, but Glimmer could feel Catra holding onto her hand. They were both silent for a long moment. Then –</p><p>“Hey, Sparkles. Think I’m gonna go see ‘Dora now, ‘kay?” Catra’s voice was scarcely a whisper.</p><p>Glimmer nodded, trying to keep her voice from breaking. “Okay. I’ll – I’ll be right here.”</p><p>Catra closed her eyes for the last time. Glimmer heard Finn and Flora quietly come back into the room and they sat together, listening to the sounds of Catra’s final breaths.</p><p>And then, a little more than 85 years after her birth, Glimmer was alone.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Glimmer wasn’t <em>alone </em>alone, of course. She had her royal court and her advisors, for one. Queen Flora also invited her to dinner on a near-weekly basis, but after the first few meals with Flora and Finn and their family, Glimmer realized that she needed to create some distance before she got too invested in their lives. It was better this way, she told herself. Easier, at least.</p><p>As Queen of Bright Moon, Glimmer had plenty to do anyway, so it wasn’t difficult to come up with excuses to stop spending time with Flora and Finn. To the vast majority of her subjects, Horde Prime was just another name in a history book, so the post-war era of good feelings had long since come to an end. It made Glimmer feel like a bit of an artifact, a living statue commemorating a war long-gone.</p><p>She couldn’t dwell on it much, however – there were land disputes to mediate, treaties to sign, and justice to dispense. Those tasks were often interesting, at least. The worst of her Queenly duties were the intelligence briefings, which took up most of the day.</p><p>“Oh, and finally, your highness, the next She-Ra has been found,” her advisor read disinterestedly from a scroll.</p><p>Glimmer perked up at this. “The next She-Ra?”</p><p>“Yes, she’s a Plumerian girl. Her name is Rubia. Our sources report that she has already begun her training in the Crystal Castle.”</p><p>“Hm.” Glimmer had been aware, of course, that someday another She-Ra would be chosen. She wasn’t really sure how the whole She-Ra business worked, anyway. Was this girl, Rubia, a reincarnation of Adora? Or was she just a girl who, like Adora, had been chosen by Etheria as its champion?</p><p>“If I may, your majesty…” The advisor’s voice shook Glimmer from her thoughts.</p><p>“Yes?”</p><p>“She has requested an audience with you. Your relationship with the previous She-Ra was a great asset to the kingdom, so I think it would be wise to honor her request.”</p><p>Glimmer frowned. Adora hadn’t just been an <em>asset</em>, but she heard the wisdom in her advisor’s words. Even if she wouldn’t be the new She-Ra’s friend, it would be wise to be on her good side.</p><p>“Very well. I will meet with her.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Glimmer let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding once the new She-Ra entered her chambers. Outside of her She-Ra form, she didn’t look much like Adora at all – she was tall and thin, with chlorine-blonde hair and dark skin. Her figure was on the waifish side – Glimmer supposed that the new She-Ra had never seen real combat. She probably hadn’t even trained for it until she became She-Ra. <em>That’s a good thing, I guess</em>, she thought to herself. She had always hoped to be the sort of Queen who didn’t need children to fight her wars.</p><p>“It’s an honor, your majesty,” She-Ra said, kneeling before Glimmer.</p><p>“You may rise, She-Ra,” Glimmer said, offering the girl a small smile. “I understand you’ve begun your training.”</p><p>The girl nodded. “I started having strange dreams about a sword, and…” She held her hand out, there was a flash of blue-green light, and the sword was in her fist. Adora’s sword. “Well, you probably know better than I do, don’t you?”</p><p>Glimmer arched an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”</p><p>She-Ra’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, um, Queen Flora told me that you and the previous She-Ra were close…” she trailed off.</p><p>“Her name was Adora,” Glimmer said, her voice a little colder than intended. “I am happy to hear that you answered the call, however. Now, to what do I owe this meeting?”</p><p>She-Ra scratched the back of her neck. “I just thought… I thought we could just talk. You knew Adora so well, I thought you might have some advice for me. Or stories, maybe.”</p><p>Glimmer gazed coolly at the girl. Her bright blue eyes shone with hope, as if full of questions that only Glimmer knew the answers to. What did she want from Glimmer? Mentorship? A friend? Someone to tell her that she was doing well, that she was fulfilling her destiny?</p><p>Adora had needed those things, and Glimmer had given them to her. Bow, too, and Catra as well, eventually. But Glimmer couldn’t be those things for the new She-Ra – this girl needed friends her own age, mortals like her. It would be better for her. It would be easier.</p><p>“Advice? My advice is for you to finish your training in the Crystal Castle,” Glimmer responded.</p><p>She-Ra paused, then nodded wordlessly and bowed before turning on her heel and leaving. Before she walked through the doors out of the audience chambers, she turned at met Glimmer’s eye once more. Glimmer sighed to herself. She had disappointed the girl, no doubt, but this was for the best. For both of them.</p><p>~~~</p><p>Glimmer often wondered her mother why she chose to have a child. Had it been a selfish wish, borne from wanting a fellow immortal to while away endless hours of eternity with? Or had it been altruistic, giving into her father’s very mortal desire to have children?</p><p>It was a difficult question, one that she wished she had the foresight to ask her parents before they had passed. She supposed that it had been very different for her mother – Queen Angella had lived for many mortal lifetimes before she found Micah. She had had ample time to accept her nature as an immortal before finding love, while it had been the opposite for Glimmer.</p><p>There were a lot of questions Glimmer wished she could ask her mom, frankly. She wished her mother had taught her how to be a leader, but she understood why she hadn’t – there hadn’t really been any reason to think Queen Angella would ever have to pass on the throne to her daughter. She wished she’d asked about the angelic blood that flowed through her veins – were there other immortals, somewhere on Etheria? What was Angella’s childhood like? And who were her grandparents?</p><p>Glimmer supposed her mother would never be able to tell her the answers to those questions. Well, maybe Glimmer would learn the answers on her own. After all, she had a long time ahead of her to find out.</p><p>~~~</p><p>A few years pass before She-Ra requests another audience, which Glimmer once again obliged. When She-Ra arrived, Glimmer could tell that she’d been training hard. Her once-willowy figure was now lithe and she walked with the arrogant air of a well-trained warrior who hadn’t yet known a loss.</p><p>“She-Ra,” Glimmer said with a faint smile on her face. “I see that you haven’t been wasting your time.”</p><p>“I met her,” She-Ra said. “Adora. I met her in the castle.”</p><p>Glimmer felt her heart skip a beat. “Oh? Did she give you any advice?”</p><p>“She asked me how you were doing. I told her that I didn’t really know.”</p><p>Glimmer stared at She-Ra impassively.</p><p>“So she told me took look out for you. She said that you could probably use a friend.” She-Ra looked up at her hopefully.</p><p>Glimmer laughed. Even in death, Adora was trying to look out for her friends. Glimmer felt a pang of nostalgia in her heart. “Thank you, She-Ra. Tell Adora that I’m fine and that it’s a low blow to use your connection to hassle me from the afterlife.”</p><p>She-Ra exhaled, relieved. “So we <em>can</em> be friends?”</p><p>Glimmer hesitated and gave She-Ra a distant look. “I don’t need new friends,” she said.</p><p>“Why not! Adora told me that you were going to be like this, you know,” She-Ra exclaimed. “She said you had probably gotten it in your head that it was easier to be alone and that <em>nothing</em> was going to change your mind short of the planet blowing up.”</p><p>Glimmer sighed. “Are you done?”</p><p>She-Ra narrowed her eyes. “Yes, <em>your majesty</em>,” she said, turning on her heel and stomping out of the chamber. Perhaps Glimmer had been too quick to judge – this She-Ra was more like Adora than she had initially given her credit for.</p><p>Glimmer sighed again. She understood where Adora was coming from, but she hadn’t lived through all of her friends’ deaths. Adora had been a mortal – she hadn’t had to treat every new relationship as a future grave that she’d eventually be weeping in front of. Besides, Glimmer had plenty of friendly acquaintances – hundreds of people who visited her court that she could make pleasant small talk with. Wasn’t that enough? Why did Adora have to make her feel guilty about it?</p><p>Her advisor’s voice shook her from her reverie. “Excuse me, your highness. Queen Flora sent another request to meet over dinner this Friday. Shall I decline it as usual?”</p><p>Glimmer chewed her lower lip. Classic Adora, meddling from even beyond the grave. “No, I’ll go this time. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>That Friday evening, Glimmer felt a bit of trepidation. She knew her excuses to avoid dinner over the last few years must have rung hollow – it’s not like it took Glimmer very long to travel from Bright Moon to Plumeria. Still, Flora and Finn sent a dinner invite regularly, so they must not be <em>too</em> upset with her.</p><p>“Ah, Queen Glimmer!” Finn said as Glimmer materialized in their foyer.</p><p>“Please, Finn. Adora would <em>kill</em> me if she heard you call me that.”</p><p>“Okay, then, auntie. It’s good to see you,” Finn said, pulling Glimmer into a hug. “Though you look more like my daughter than an aunt.”</p><p>Glimmer snorted. “I’m just surprised you’re still dying your hair. Adora was mostly gray by your age, you know that?”</p><p>Finn chuckled. “Come on, Flora will be excited to see you. She’s been awfully worried about you since, you know. Uncle Bow.”</p><p>Glimmer shook her head in exasperation. “Well, she and Adora can start a club, I guess,” she said, letting Finn lead her into the dining hall.</p><p>“Oh, Glimmer!” Flora exclaimed as soon as she laid eyes on her. She pulled Glimmer into a big hug, lifting her feet off the ground. Even at nearly 60, Flora was a great hugger. Glimmer supposed it ran in the family. “It’s been too long!”</p><p>“Sorry, Flora. I’ve just been busy with my queenly duties,” she said, which just caused Flora to give her a pitying look. “How are the kids?”</p><p>“Oh! Having kids of their own, now,” Flora said smilingly, motioning for Glimmer to take a seat at their dining table. Flora and Finn took their seats opposite her as their cooks brought in food. Salad to start, of course. The food was good, even if it was a bit earthy. Finn had the decency to wait until they’d all had their first glass of wine before diving into difficult topics.</p><p>“So, Glimmer. What’s this I hear about the Queen of Bright Moon becoming a lonely recluse?” Finn asked.</p><p>Glimmer chucked darkly. “All my friends are dead, Finn.”</p><p>Flora and Finn shared a long look. “We’re your friends, aren’t we, Auntie?” Finn asks.</p><p>Glimmer took another sip of wine and let out a long sigh. “Yes, yes. I meant friends whose diapers I don’t remember changing.”</p><p>Finn snickered and Flora turned a little pink. Glimmer tried to take the opportunity to change the subject. “How’s Maizie doing? She must be all grown up now.” Their youngest daughter, if Glimmer remembered correctly.</p><p>Finn’s eyes glinted a little. They were Adora’s color, but contained all of Catra’s mischief. “Oh, she broke up with her boyfriend. She’s decided she’s sworn off dating and she’s just going to live alone in her grandparents’ cottage.”</p><p>Glimmer snorted. Maizie was always headstrong, sometimes to a fault. “That’s silly. She’ll meet someone.”</p><p>Flora looked at Finn as if they were sharing a secret joke. “Right? She can’t just swear off all relationships because she lost someone, right?”</p><p>Glimmer frowned, but then let out a short laugh. “Neither of you are old enough to be getting smart with me. I should have known Flora would be like this, but I never expected it coming from you, Finn. How’d those two idiots raise such a wise kid, anyway?”</p><p>“Hey, my moms weren’t… well, actually, I guess they were, weren’t they?” Finn chuckled.</p><p>The mirth faded from Glimmer’s eyes. “I miss them. I miss Bow,” she murmured. “I miss them every day, and I think I might miss them forever. How many more people can I miss like this?”</p><p>Flora gave her a sad look. “I can’t begin to understand what that’s like, Glimmer, but… people are meant keep their hearts open to others.”</p><p>Glimmer rolled her eyes. “You sound <em>just</em> like Perfuma.”</p><p>As their conversation veered back to lighter topics, Glimmer could see her friends in Flora and Finn. Catra was in Finn’s snickering laugh, and Adora in the color of their eyes. Flora had Perfuma’s gentle demeanor and Scorpia’s shockingly white hair. Looking at them made Glimmer miss her friends, yes, but it helped her see how they lived on in some small way.</p><p>“You’ll be back next week?” Finn asked hopefully.</p><p>“The Queen of Bright Moon has a pretty busy schedule…” Glimmer trailed off. Finn and Flora gave her a pleading look.  “Fine, fine! I’ll work something out.”</p><p>~~~</p><p>Despite the sour ending of their last meeting, She-Ra was soon in her audience chamber again, seeking advice. A land dispute had been brewing for years between two noble families at the very outskirts of Bright Moon, and peaceful solutions had eluded Glimmer. She hadn’t expected She-Ra to get involved in something this minor, but there weren’t any aliens planning invasions of Etheria, so perhaps She-Ra had nothing better to do.</p><p>“I just don’t know how to end this without violence, your majesty,” She-Ra said.</p><p>“I’ve been trying for years to defuse this situation. I’m not exactly surprised a green She-Ra couldn’t do it, either,” Glimmer replied. “Besides, what makes this a job for She-Ra, anyway? You don’t <em>have</em> to deal with every petty argument in all of Etheria, you know.”</p><p>She-Ra sighs, turning her sword over in her hands. “You – you’re right. I don’t know. It just seems like Adora’s destiny was so much clearer, what, with the intergalactic threats and all…”</p><p>“That grass is always greener, isn’t it?” Glimmer muses to herself.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“Adora wanted so badly to be able to choose her destiny, but her duty as She-Ra made her feel like she didn’t have any choice at all,” Glimmer said. “She would be envious of you, I think.”</p><p>“Yes, she told me as much. She’s not very helpful when it comes to things that aren’t fighting or working out, is she?” She-Ra offered Glimmer a smile.</p><p>Glimmer let out a laugh. “No, that… that doesn’t surprise me.”</p><p>“Still, how do I know what’s right? How do I know what I’m supposed to do?” She-Ra implored.</p><p>Glimmer closed her eyes and exhaled. She, too, was a little envious of the young She-Ra. Not because she got to make difficult choices – heavens knew that Glimmer had to make more than her fair share of those. She was envious of the girl’s humility – she wished she’d had a little more back when she was a young queen. Though… too much indecision could be a handicap, too.</p><p>“Why do you think you’re <em>supposed</em> to do something?” Glimmer asked.</p><p>“What? That’s – that’s why I was chosen to be She-Ra, isn’t it? To serve Etheria as her champion?” she responds.</p><p>“You know, that’s what Adora thought, too. That’s what all the legends say, right? That She-Ra will save Etheria in her hour of need?” Glimmer said. “But Etheria’s hour of need is over, for now. Yet here you are, She-Ra. Why?”</p><p>She-Ra shook her head. “I – I don’t know. Why?”</p><p>Glimmer chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know the answer. This isn’t a quiz.” Glimmer’s gaze met the bright, blue-eyed stare of She-Ra. “Maybe there isn’t really an answer.”</p><p>She-Ra snorted. “That’s not very helpful, your majesty.”</p><p>“No, look – the runestones, for example. They’ve always been here, right? We built our kingdoms around them, not the other way around. She-Ra is probably the same – disregarding the First Ones’ meddling, of course.” It was Bow, actually, that had shared this hypothesis with Glimmer. Adora had found it comforting to know that she’d returned the power of She-Ra to the Etherians. “So… I think that means that you get to decide your purpose.”</p><p>She-Ra stared at the ground as she scratched her chin. “So… I’ve been given this power… and I can just do whatever I want with it?”</p><p>Glimmer shook her head. “That’s not what I mean. I mean that She-Ra isn’t a <em>thing</em> that happened to you when you summoned the sword. You’ve always been She-Ra, deep down, so whatever good you want to do… I think that’s what <em>your</em> She-Ra is supposed to do.”</p><p>She-Ra nodded thoughtfully, then smiled. “Thank you, your majesty. That was… actually pretty helpful. I guess you are pretty wise.”</p><p>Glimmer returned the girl’s smile. She’d been too hasty to slam the door on a friendship with the new She-Ra. As a new queen, Glimmer had leaned on her friends when her duties became too heavy to shoulder alone. Perhaps Glimmer could let She-Ra lean on her, too.</p><p>“Please, Rubia, you don’t need to be so formal. Just call me Glimmer.”</p>
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